Subaru is celebrating the production of its one millionth Forester
- one of the first and, arguably, most successful
crossover sports utility vehicles to combine off-road
ability with sporty handling. In fact, the Forester is
Subarus most popular export model with 83.2 per cent being
sold outside Japan.

The milestone was reached nine years and three months after the
company began production at its Gumna Yajima Plant in December
1996. Since then there has been a complete model change in 2002
followed by an extensive facelift for the 2006 Model Year.
Naturally, the Forester continues to showcase Subarus
admired symmetrical all-wheel drive system and low-centre-of
gravity horizontally-opposed boxer engines. Worldwide
Forester sales reached 119,743 units last year - a 6.2 per cent
increase on 2004.

The first-generation Forester set a new world record with an
average speed of 180.082 km/h in a 24-hour endurance challenge at
the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It has continually scored well in
all US and European crash tests and received several towing awards
in the UK including outright Towcar of the Year 2004
and Compact 4x4 Winner 2005 from The Caravan Club.

The latest range starts at ??17,595 on-the-road for the
Forester 2.0 X which has a new 158 PS four-cam boxer
engine and features a high equipment count which includes a
low-ratio gearbox, hill-holder clutch and self-levelling
suspension. Meanwhile, the 2006 MY Forester 2.5 XT now has a 230 PS
turbocharged boxer engine which gives a Porsche
Cayenne-challenging 0-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds in manual form.
Forester 2.5 XT prices are from ??21,995 OTR.

The Forester went on sale in Japan in February 1997 followed by the
USA in July with a European debut in the September. The second
generation was introduced in February 2002 with European sales
starting in October.